know the .mousey. one//open&river

[Arabella Hart]

86748F

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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L I K E. P R A Y E R S. I N. M Y. P O C K E T S.[/color][/font]

Arabella was loitering around the small dorm she had on Serenity. They had left Athens a couple hours ago and she was just settling in after being shown her room. She had offered to make the crew dinner tonight after buying a couple things to add to the stock of food they had. Whenever she joined someplace new, she liked to make a meal to break the ice. Arabella was normally very shy so she did what she knew to get conversations rolling. The Tam girl seemed to be trying to break her already. That girl had too much energy for the blond. Arabella remembered being as hyper and joyful as her. Before she had to run and before Corion....

Plopping in the bed, Arabella dumped her belongings out. Random bits of toiletries, books, a photo album and little decorations fell out of the first one. She wasn't sure how long she'd be here so those went back in. The few books she had kept were tucked into the bottom drawer of the small dresser along with her personal care items and the journal. Her photo album stayed out as she always kept it close to her; usually under the pillow she rested her head on. Whatever ship she was on never felt like a home to her but she tried to keep it close to her. There wasn't much in her life she had kept. Much had been left on Londinium or been sold, even books. It was always sad to see things go but she had to do what she needed in order to keep from going back and being forced into a marriage.

Those few things being put away, Arabella grabbed the larger duffel bag. All her clothes were in there. Her callused hands began to pull items out one by one to fold them. As she worked, Arabella hummed a tune softly. She had nothing to do and didn't know anyone too well so she would stay hidden here. The sliding door was left open slightly in case someone came around. She just prayed they knocked first as she didn't do too well with surprises.

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tagged;; open/serenity crew
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; minus the hat
notes;; excited to have this site back!
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[shaggy2dope]

Scamandros was bored out of his mind. Not that it was exactly easy to keep oneself busy on a tub like Serenity as it threw itself through the black of course, especially if you weren't part of the crew. Having hopped on at Athens with nothing but a couple of extra suits, a crate full of cheap booze and whatever he had in his pockets, John tried to be a decent passenger and offered to help wherever he could.

Sitting on the bed in the small dorm room that he'd been given, bottle of booze in hand he was beginning to ponder if he should head up to the lounge and see who was worth talking to. After a few minutes of internal debt, Scamandros pulled himself to his feet and exited his room, closing his door behind him. As he was about to head off he noticed that one of the other Dorm room doors had been left open. Figuring that it was possibly the other passenger that had come on board he wondered over and knocked politely on the door frame.

[Arabella Hart]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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L I K E. P R A Y E R S. I N. M Y. P O C K E T S.[/color][/font]

Arabella realized she desperately needed to repair a few of her skirts. Setting aside the ones to work on, the rest of her clothes were folded up around her. She wasn’t sure how long she would be on the ship. With the fair they had, she had enough cashy money and credits to last her maybe six months. After that she would be dropped off on whatever rock was safest outside of the core. She wasn’t exactly right for most jobs on a ship and most ships weren’t looking for cooks. No one had regular schedules so why have someone cooking up food that some could eat right away while others heated it up? No, planetside would be best because she could at least find something t do for work.

Moving around to put her clothes away, Arabella pulled out the upper drawers. As she saw the end of her pile, a rap on the door caught her attention. Turning upwards, she pushed the hair out of her face because seeing the other passenger there. John....something or other. Arabella could be terrible with names at times. In a natural reaction her back stiffened before she offered a coy smile. ”Hi there.” She bit into the inside of her lip, not sure of what else to say. She was very awkward when trying to get to know people. ”So this isn’t a bad ship, huh? Lot nicer then some back there.” Finishing up, she grabbed her sewing kit before tossing it on the bed. Eventually she would start but right now she was trying to hold a conversation and wouldn’t be rude. When she was repairing her clothing she was really focused.

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tagged;; open/serenity crew
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; hidden one
notes;; excited to have this site back!
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[shaggy2dope]

Scamandros smiled openly. He loved meeting new people, he always had. Even when he was amongst the Mudders and their babbling about some hero named Jayne he'd talk to anyone who was willing to do so. He hoped the crew of the Serenity were as friendly as they seemed, otherwise he might be even more bored out of his skull then was the usual fare during space travel. But would be for the future, hopefully over a few drinks and a bite or two to eat if his fare covered that. Right now he was focused on Arabella and what a sight she was.

You didn't may much in the way of beautiful women outside of the Core or the Companions, but Arabella sure seemed very pretty. Especially for someone so young. And judging from the gear she was holding, she knew a thing or two about sewing kit. Might be useful later on down the track. "Good afternoon, or whatever the heck time of day it's suppose to be," greeted John right on back. He hoped he wasn't being to forward as he leant against the door frame. "She's a right little beauty, this ship," he conceded honestly, "well looked after and definitely loved, that's for sure." Taking another swig from his bottle of booze he offered the bottle to Arabelle. She didn't look like the type to drunk, but honor dictated he offer her a swig anyways.

[Arabella Hart]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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Shrugging, she tried to stay at ease. Even if she was open to getting to know people, it was hard after what had happened to her. ”Yeah whenever up here it’s easy to lose track. And we only just left Athens.” One of her nervous habits of picking at random bits of her clothes overtook her. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she played with the stitching of her skirt. ”Yeah I haven’t been on too many but this one looks to be the least...sketchy.” Arabella knew enough from working in pubs that not every ship was completely honest. But there was a difference between the scum captains and the ones who cared about their crew. Her feet kicked off her worn shoes as she shook her head. ”No thanks. Never held my liquor well. But you can come in, if you want.” Her tone obviously showed her nerves before she cleared her throat. It was a problem but she was working on it. Being around so many people keen on getting to know her would probably help things along.

Whenever along with any guy she always got anxious. Not because she felt drawn to them or anything but since the attack she didn’t do so well. Add on top of that being made to look like a doll for some many years she always felt vulnerable. Arabella hated that about herself. Often she wondered if her brother hadn’t died if she’d have grown up entirely different. Would she be a confident girl ready to take life by the, well, balls. Or would she still be a timid yes girl? ”So what do you do when not just hitching a ride?” She could do small talk if she tried. And that’s really tried.

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tagged;; open/serenity crew
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; hidden one
notes;; excited to have this site back!
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[shaggy2dope]

Scamandros laughed slightly. "I'm horrible at keeping track of time, that's for damn sure," he admitted. "But I blame the alcohol for that one. And the lack of a watch. That'd probably do it." He wasn't sure what to add to that subject but probably not to much more if he wanted to make a good impression on his travelling companion. "Sometimes sketchy can be fun to tell you the truth. But it depends on the crew in any case, and this lot seems to be okay. 'Cept for maybe the guy they've got doing public relations, he seems a little to anti-social for his own good." Scamandros was doing his usual babbling. It was his own bad habit, especially when he was tipsy, which he was at the moment. But that was just him. "All's the more for me I guess, but the offer stands if you ever some. I've got a whole crate in the hold," he stated as he stepped into the room and dropped the arm to his side while keeping the booze upright.

Not quite sure where to put himself he leaned against the chest of drawers. If anything he liked leaning, especially when he was drinking. His smiled never left his face as he did so, hoping that a at least somewhat friendly face would ease her nerves. It might take a while, but he had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting friendship. The fact that she actually have a decent story to tell was a definite plus in that area as well. There was nothing he loved more then meeting people and hearing stories, except maybe his Larger, and he already had that. "In the words of an old drinking buddy o' mine, I'm a Jack of all trades, master of none. I do whatever work I can lay may dirty little hands on. How's about yourself?" John asked as he took another swig of the alcohol, whose aroma was beginning to permeate the room slightly.

[Arabella Hart]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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So far John didn’t seem to be one of those drunks she hated. The ones who didn’t know boundaries and were most likely to start fights. That is if he was drunk at all. Some guys drank the stuff like water and could go about their lives perfectly fine. With a chuckle, she nodded her head slightly. ”Those are pretty big contributing factors I guess.’ Even after all these years dropping her proper ways of everything she did was hard. Most people figured she had been around some finer things by how she talked. Usually Arabella could get away saying she worked in an Alliance kitchen so just picked things up. Less the intelligent people believed her and few didn’t. Something about here told her she wouldn’t be so lucky with that.

Her shoulder shrugged. ”Well after some experiences I can tell which sketchy crews to avoid and which know....boundaries.” Arabella kept quiet about the rest of that. She didn’t mind any manner of illegal work as long as she wasn’t thrust into it on the core. All she needed was someone to rescue her and bring her off to her grandmother for the bounty, leaving her to be married off. ”Usually I don’t but I’ll keep that in mind for one bad nigh.” If anyone figured her out it would be a bad night. It wasn’t like she was a danger to people as she wasn’t a fugitive in the technicality of the word. She had to learn not everyone would be eager to turn her in but she was always cautious of everyone. It stopped her from forming may friendships and some relationships(though she wasn’t all about that); real connections that could tie her some place.

Having one of the smaller rooms she didn’t have a chair like the others. That was alright with her since the bed was good enough. made it hard when people came around trying to get to know her though. ”I’m a cook though I think it’d be easier to find work if I dabbled in different things like you.” Most of the places looking for a cook were rich, Alliance families. Families who would know or know of her grandmother. Being less the daring, she didn’t try to get one of these jobs because she may not be able to run away. Trying to find something else to talk about she got a whiff of his drink. man, that stuff was strong, but working in bars it didn’t really twist her stomach anymore. You learned to deal with the weird mixtures of food and alcohol scents together. With a sigh she decided to just wing it. ”Um sorry I’m not used to having people around who are keen on talking. Not really sure about much anymore.” There was a flush of her neck as Arabella was embarrassed. Short of spilling her guts about her past, there was nothing she could talk about.

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tagged;; open/john
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; hidden one
notes;; posting order is bella, haven, john, tristan
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[shaggy2dope]

Scamandros smiled at Arbella, glad she was loosening up, even if it was only slightly. "That they are, that they are," he agreed. Picking up the accent, he wasn't sure if it was worth mentioning or something about her past she didn't want to talk about. Usually he wouldn't hesitate to ask, but he didn't want to ruin their budding friendship at such a delicate stage when Arabella seemed a little on the shy side. Not that he could complain about accents, John had certainly picked up his own accent from winging his way all over the verse for the past who knew how long.

"That is true enough. Not that I'm so fussy about the crew or the ship myself, so long as they're interesting enough and don't mind having a drinker on board." Wasn't that the truth, hJohn had certainly seen his share of interesting and different crews in his travels and even worked for one or two of them. Heck, at one point he'd even managed to win a free birth on one 'cause he out-drank their merc. Scamandros chuckled at the mention of 'bad nights'. "Fair enough I guess, um," Scamandros had just really sure what her name was. He'd heard it mentioned by one or two of the crew members but he hadn't been paying to much attention at that point. "Annabelle was it?" John wasn't trying to be offensive, he was just curious.

"A cook huh? That's a pretty good occupation to have. From what I've seen you wouldn't have to look for work whenever you end up." Bars and pubs were always looking for decent short order cooks from what he'd seen, to say nothing of the cafe's and restaurants' that he'd visited on his journey. "It'd damn near trump being a Jack-of-all-trades on one or two planets." Taking another swig, Scamandros took stock of what was left in the bottle. The glass made it kind of hard to see, but years of practice had taught John how to look. He was about half done with this bottle, which was a good thing as he'd need to pace himself with what he had until they made landfall and he could get some more. "Don't worry about it," conceded John with a small grin. "If all else fails you can regale me with stories about your time as a cook. I'm sure there are some interesting and/or funny stories about that."[/b][/color][/size]

[Arabella Hart]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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L I K E. P R A Y E R S. I N. M Y. P O C K E T S.[/color][/font]

Arabella never knew when it was a good time to try and be friends with someone or not. Being on her toes constantly in running, she was hesitant getting close to people. She never knew if they’d be the kind of people wanting to get that reward money if they knew about her past. Or she would just have to leave because she ran out of fare. Betty was about the only person one she kept in constant contact with. Alec tried but that was a different story. Slowly she was easing up around John but her back still sat pretty rigid. Pulling a leg up onto the bed, it disappeared under her as she tried to relax back.

Her nose wrinkled up. ”I didn’t use to be. Was surprised myself I chose this ship. Not used to one having so many crew aboard.” Eventually she would get up and start to make something for the crew. Arabella had been told she could have free reign over the kitchen. Whether the captain had been told or not she didn’t know. Hopefully. Turning back to John, she tilted her head. ”Arabella but it can be a pain. I prefer Bella.” Her name sounded too proper. Perhaps she should just introduce herself by her nickname from now on. ”I’m terrible at holding down my liquor. Perhaps because i just about never drink.” Before she never really had time to; after working ten or eleven hours, all she felt like doing was sleeping afterwards.

Arabella made a sound between a chuckle and a scoff. ”There’s plenty of work on the core but I don’t want to be there. Outside of there, I’ve barely found anything. Tristan mentioned me cooking here until I find a job which would be nice.” She scratched at her head as she yawned; she wasn’t tired but her body was exhausted from little sleep and walking around all morning. ”Yeah but people are always looking to fill jobs no one else wants. You’d be able to find something too. I could even show you some tricks to get work cooking if needed.” Perhaps it was the fact her body was nearly limp with exhaustion or her body was over taking her body, but she was a lot more relaxed now. Man he realy can knock it back, she thought to herself. Arabella would never be up to par with him. ”About the only good one was when I first started working, out on Hera. A drunk decided to try to help us cook back in the kitchens. I had only been there a week and just freaked out. I splashed him with water but that hit some grease and flames lashed up.” Cautiously pulling down her sweater, she moved aside a part of her tshirt to reveal a burn about two fingers width. ”Probably my best battle scar.” Smiling, she fixed herself up, preferring to be covered up. ”Your turn.” If she shared a story then he had to as well.

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tagged;; open/john
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; hidden one
notes;; nada
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[shaggy2dope]

Taking a deep drink from his bottle, John grinned happily. His love of meeting new people was definitely playing up and he was loving it. He wasn't fussed if he got close to her or not, though it was a place, but he always loved meeting them none-the-less. The fact that Arabella was pleasant on the eyes, even if they didn't go anywhere was a help and she hadn't told him to take a running jump yet, which was a plus. Heck she was even beginning to look a little relaxed, not by much, but it was definitely a start.

"They seem to have the right size crew for a Firefly if ya ask me. Maybe one or two more could be added, and they'd still be good. But that's just my humble opinion on the matter." Not that he wanted to be a member of the crew himself. He wanted to relax a while and maybe have some fun. He was done with his working days for at least until he ran out of cash, which he knew wouldn't be for a little while. "Bella it is then," conceded Scamandros with a nod of his head. "Not that Arabella isn't either, but Bella suits you more I think." Letting out a short laugh, John shrugged. "Don't worry about it, liquor isn't for everyone."

"It's a tough 'verse out here unfortunately," conceded John whose toned turned slightly sour, though it was softened slightly by Bella's tired yawn. "And I'm sure I can pass on a skill or three while we're travelling together. But I'd suggest avoiding Higgin's Moon if at all possible, and indentured servitude. That's never fun." His own head tilted slightly as Arabella told the story and showed off the burn. It certainly sounded like a bit of a gas, his grin briefly increasing at his own lame joke.

"One story, then me thinks that it might be time for you to head off to the land of sleep," agreed the traveller as he tried to think of a story. "A couple of years back I managed to find my way into this Alliance bar near the rim. Unfortunately for me I happened to have been wearing a brown leather duster at the time, which didn't endear me to the crowd any." Take a pause for a small swig, John let out a small burp. "Pard'n me. Anyways, I was in this bar, and the locals were looking to give me a rough time. Now, I'm not exactly the most physical type, despite any evidence to the contrary, so I challenged their best drinker to a contest for supremacy. About a dozen or so rounds later the other guy is out cold. His mates weren't exactly happy about that, and proceeded to beat the living tar out of me."

Putting his bottle on the dresser as best he could, John pulled up the front of his shirt, revealing his stomach which toned from years of hard work but beginning to go to pot from inactivity and booze. Etched on his stomach was a zig-zag scar whose last line was about an inch and a half longer then the rest. "One of the gorram fools even stabbed me in the stomach. Leaving me with probably my best battle scar." He'd shared the story many times before, and wasn't exactly shy about it. The scar itself would be there for a long time yet.

[Arabella Hart]

I 'V E. B E E N. C O L L E C T I N G. Y O U R. W O R D S.

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Before three months ago, Arabella loved talking to people. Not about her own life but just talking in general. She could more easily pass the small talk and get on the ball with it. Then things changed and she withdrew more. Probably because she hadn’t faced her demons at this point. No one knew what happened to her besides the pages of her journal. No justice had been served and she hadn’t really coped at all. When she could figure out on her own dealing with the anguish, building new relationships would be easy. That and admitting about her past. but walls that she had built up needed to come down. Super close ones couldn’t be formed out here though unless she had a sure and steady home.

She knew nothing about ships or crew except they came by what work needed if not Alliance aligned exclusively. ”Well my family didn’t teach me much about ships. They wanted me to stay grounded my whole life. Still learning about what’s a good crew and what’s not. Or even about the boats they run and the make up. Usually pick things up listening to folks.” John seemed to know a bit about the ways around here. Even after years on her own she still had no clue about anything at all. Perhaps she needed to get on the ball and getting learning. That way she’d be better suited when she left Serenity and tried to find her own way again. ”Well my grandmother would argue with you about that one but I’m inclined to agree with you.” Even Arabella wasn’t sure why that bit about her family came out. Clearing her throat, she remembered to be more careful next time.

Arabella shrugged. ”Been manging just fine until now. Winter’s are too cold though. I like warm better.” A more relaxed laugh formed as she nodded. ”I could use some more skills. Cooking and humming don’t seem to cut it for people.” Higgin’s Moon sounded like a grittier version of the Sinclair Estate. Her jobs were more high class but she was treated like chattel. Up for any eligible bachelor to have as his wife. Arabella was groomed and followed every instruction of her grandmother. Her lack of sleep was bringing up a lot of unpleasant memories. ”I think your right about the sleep. I still have to cook some food for the crew so you’re welcome to come by. Need a look out so the captain doesn’t see that I’m taking over his galley.” That was the warning Haven had given her before trying to arrange him hiding. She was sure the brunette would play a part in that along with another one.

Arabella, like the rest of the verse, was aware of the strain with people in browncoats of any time. They were scarce in shops or when people were learning to sew. She had only witnessed one brawl but that wasn’t so much over someones attire as their views. Her first glimpse into the continued conflicts left over from the war. Leaning forward to see the faded scar she pulled her face back in a grimace. ”Ai ya. Dung ee-miao, so they flipped just because of your jacket and the fact you drink like a fish?” The fact that she was cussing was not the normal Arabella. Anyone four years ago would say just as much. Seems maybe she was doing fine in her travels in some sense. ”I’ve seen fights over the sides people hold and the wrong things said but wow. Did anyone step up when the knife came out?” Arabella leaned backwards again, hitting her head on the wall. She rubbed at it but couldn’t help and laugh. Maybe some men in the black were actually ok, unlike the ones she normally encountered. Arabella’s irrational thoughts would be pushed aside soon enough. ”You win. I’ve never had anything close to that happen to me.” No hers was different but no one needed to know that.

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tagged;; open/john
word count;; erm no idea
outfit;; hidden one
notes;; nada
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[shaggy2dope]

Travelling on ships was one of Scamandros' skills at this point. "Some families can get like that I guess. Not that I know much about that myself a'course, but there ya go." John smiled again. It seemed to be something that never quite left his face for very long, and each one was as genuine and full of mirth as the next. It was his own defence mechanism really, to continuously be happy to disallow the acceptance of past pain. "And I'd be more then happy to argue with your grandmother on that point. Bella's a beaut' name."

"Never said you weren't," conceded John. "And if you ever want to learn something my room ain't to far away. Just make sure ta knock first, just in case." His eye's glittered mischievously at this. Living on ships or anywhere with a lot of people sharing one space could lead to fun times and John didn't want to cause any undue strife. It didn't help that he'd caught a few people with their pants down and it made for a lot of fun. "Well, how about a nap then? I'm sure the crew wouldn't mind to muchly if their dinner was a little late. But that's just my opinion, such as it is at this point."

Scamandros had seen more then his share of the chaos that resulted from the feelings left over from the war. It didn't help that his inheritance and his mother had pretty much been taken from him by the gorram Purple Bellied Ung Jeong Jia Ching Jien Soh. It was possibly the only subject that would sour his mood no matter what was happening. "It was mainly the fact that I was wearing colored coat, but pretty much yeah."[/b] It was the only reason people needed these days and John hated it, but that was the 'Verse for ya. He started tucking his shirt back in as he continued to speak. "Are you kidding? To those Cheong Bao Ho Tze Ta Ma Duh's I was a dirty browncoat who was going to get was he deserved. The only reason I survived was that the Sheriff chose then to show up and break up the festivities." He spoke of the incident with mirth but as he continued on an edge of sadness and maybe even hatred seeped into his voice. He laughed slightly with Bella. "Be glad you didn't. I wouldn't want someone as lovely as you end up in a situation like that." And hopefully she wouldn't be if he had anything to say about it. John was beginning to consider a friend, despite her story or lack of one at this point, and he was protective of the friends he travelled with.[/size][/color]